Drunk driving charges carry serious penalties, but a recent Colorado case shows just how very seriously the state takes DUIs. According to various reports, what seems like it was merely a drunk driving case has become something much more severe.
As a result of a DUI accident last week, a 32-year-old Colorado woman faces a first-degree murder charge. That charge generally means that a suspect set out to specifically kill someone and, therefore, drunk driving accidents don't often fall under that charge. This Colorado DUI case is apparently different, according to state officials.
Why is this defendant being treated so harshly?
According to news sources, the woman was put on probation for a prior DUI charge just two days before last week's fatal DUI accident. A driver in another car died in the recent crash, and his two passengers - one child - suffered severe injuries.
The defendant was not supposed to be driving and not supposed to have consumed alcohol. On top of disregarding those rules of her probation, the defendant reportedly left the scene of the crash and tried to evade police.
She attempted to flee the authorities by swimming away from the area, but she didn't succeed in her escape. She was apprehended, arrested, jailed and charged with the following: first-degree murder showing extreme indifference, vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, hit-and-run, DUI, driving under a restrained license and more. She is now still in custody on a $1 million bond.
We will post an update when there are developments in this case. Do you think that a drunk driver should be charged with murder?
Source
Longmont Times-Call: "Boulder County prosecutors charge Lisa Norton with first-degree murder," Pierrette J. Shields, 30 Jun. 2011
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